- Email: [email protected]
Advanced programming, a practical course
niques. Topics to be discussed include Stress analysis problems: Applications to fluid mechanics; Time dependent and elastodynamic problems: Geomechanics and mining; Interfacing with CAD systems; Boundary Element packages; Comparison and relationships with Finite Elements; Applications in electrostatics, Heat transfer applications; Research and development in progress. The Organising Committee consists of Dr C. Brebbia, University of Southampton, UK~ Dr G. D. Tong, Computational Fluid Mechanics Pty Ltd, Australia, and Mr R. J. Taylor, Techsearch Inc., Australia. Technical enquiries should be addressed to the Conference Chairman, Dr C. Brebbia, and registration enquiries to Pam Phillips, Techsearch Inc., S.A. Inst. of Technology, North Terrace, Adelaide, S.A. 5000.
BETECH 86 18-19 July 1986 MIT, Cambridge, USA The international organising committee for this latest boundary element technology conference includes ISCME members Dr A. Chaudouet, CETIM, Senlis, France, Mr G. Kuich, Femcad AG, Switzerland, Professor H. Pina, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal, Mr A. Wanderlingh, Hamilton Standard, Connecticut, USA, and Professor W. Wendland, Darmstadt University, West Germany. Topics to be discussed include Stress analysis problems; Applications to fluid mechanics; Geomechanics and mining; Interfacing with CAD systems and other numerical techniques: Boundary Element packages; Applications in electrostatics and electro-magnetism; Basic problems; Hydrologic applications; Use of computers and graphics to interpret input/output. Conference directors are Professor J. J. Connor and Dr C. A. Brebbia. Enquiries for both ITC 86 and BETECH 86 to CAES, 125 High Street, Southampton, SO1 0AA, UK.
BOOK REVIEWS Boundary Value Problems L. D. Kovach Addison-Wesley, 419 pp., £29.65, 1984 ISBN 0-201-11728-2 As the title states this book deals with the class of problems known as B.V.P.s (Boundary Value Problems). Since this is one of the most important aspects of mathematical physics there are naturally a multitude of text books available on the subject. Due to this fact a new text book appearing in this section of the market must have many good points to allow it to stand out from the crowd. Following a review of ordinary differential equations, these are used to define the term B.V.P. Having covered some basic definitions, the matter goes on to explain the necessary mathematical concepts required for the methods to follow. Since the more general B.V.P.s are characterised by partial differential equations, these are introduced next along with methods of their solution including transform methods. Although the book does not cover any one aspect of the subject in great detail, the format used is very easy to follow. Each section is explained plainly with the mathe-
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Adv. Eng. Software, 1985, Vol. 7, No. 2
matics being presented in all undelstandabic Iolm. In conclusion, although this book may not stand ab~;c the host of other books available, it is tit least as good as most. Due to its readable style, it c,,uld be a welcome addition to many bookshelves.
A. C Merc)' Computational Mechanics Inc.. USA
Advanced Programming, A Practical Course D. 14/. Barron and J. 3I. Bishop John Wiley and Sons, 1984, 277 pp., £10.50, ISBN 0-471905216 The best way to master the art of programming is to serve an apprenticeship with a seasoned master programmer. The second best way is to be guided by a good book on programming, of which this is an excellent example. However, the text is not intended for novices, and the one who will most profit from it will have to have more than a basic experience in the high-level language programming. The programming language, through which use of data structures and procedures are demonstrated, was chosen by the authors to be Pascal, and in this respect, the majority of the book would fit under the name 'Advanced Programming in Pascal'. Nevertheless, the explanations of the problems encountered in solving an application task and the solutions to it are quite general, so that Pascal can rather be viewed upon as a vehicle, used to carry the reader from ideas to programming implementations. The book contains nine chapters. The first chapter, besides the introduction, briefly overviews the data and control structure of Pascal, giving advice on layout and style of a good program. The second chapter is concerned with basic algorithms, including an excellent part on recursion, explaining this complex subject, through simple examples. Also operations on sets are introduced and used to a great advantage in the examples, some of which are quite unusual for a scientific-mathematical audience (an analysis of a Shakespeare play). Chapter 3 deals with basic data structures, explaining also not so common ones like stacks, queues and linked lists. The fourth chapter describes the correct way of organising i n p u t - o u t p u t of the program. Chapter 5 deals with more complex algorithms, using various sorting procedures as examples. Also, various storage methods for arrays are discussed in relation to the properties of the matrices (symmetric, triangular, banded, sparse ...). A special treatment is given to variable-sized arrays, using linked lists. More complex data structures, trees, are dealt with in the sixth chapter, where various problems of search and sort are performed on these objects, with special attention being devoted to binary trees. The seventh chapter describes problems with i n p u t - o u t p u t when dealing with files in Pascal. Examples again include searches and sorts, this time with the emphasis on sequential file access. 'Other languages' is the title of the eighth chapter, and it briefly describes structures of Fortran as a representative of a language of the future. Basically, it comments on the lack of facilities in Fortran, as compared with Pascal, and on enhancements in Ada again in comparison to Pascal. The ninth chapter contains recommended further reading. The book definitely lives up to its title, and it should be considered as a manual for advanced programmers (or a learning text for those who wish to become one). The choice of Pascal as the programming language of the book seems quite natural to its proven superiority over most alternative languages and also due to its wide availability.
D. Nardini Gradjevinski Institut, Zagreb, Yugoslavia
BETECH 86 18-19 July 1986 MIT, Cambridge, USA The international organising committee for this latest boundary element technology conference includes ISCME members Dr A. Chaudouet, CETIM, Senlis, France, Mr G. Kuich, Femcad AG, Switzerland, Professor H. Pina, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal, Mr A. Wanderlingh, Hamilton Standard, Connecticut, USA, and Professor W. Wendland, Darmstadt University, West Germany. Topics to be discussed include Stress analysis problems; Applications to fluid mechanics; Geomechanics and mining; Interfacing with CAD systems and other numerical techniques: Boundary Element packages; Applications in electrostatics and electro-magnetism; Basic problems; Hydrologic applications; Use of computers and graphics to interpret input/output. Conference directors are Professor J. J. Connor and Dr C. A. Brebbia. Enquiries for both ITC 86 and BETECH 86 to CAES, 125 High Street, Southampton, SO1 0AA, UK.
BOOK REVIEWS Boundary Value Problems L. D. Kovach Addison-Wesley, 419 pp., £29.65, 1984 ISBN 0-201-11728-2 As the title states this book deals with the class of problems known as B.V.P.s (Boundary Value Problems). Since this is one of the most important aspects of mathematical physics there are naturally a multitude of text books available on the subject. Due to this fact a new text book appearing in this section of the market must have many good points to allow it to stand out from the crowd. Following a review of ordinary differential equations, these are used to define the term B.V.P. Having covered some basic definitions, the matter goes on to explain the necessary mathematical concepts required for the methods to follow. Since the more general B.V.P.s are characterised by partial differential equations, these are introduced next along with methods of their solution including transform methods. Although the book does not cover any one aspect of the subject in great detail, the format used is very easy to follow. Each section is explained plainly with the mathe-
100
Adv. Eng. Software, 1985, Vol. 7, No. 2
matics being presented in all undelstandabic Iolm. In conclusion, although this book may not stand ab~;c the host of other books available, it is tit least as good as most. Due to its readable style, it c,,uld be a welcome addition to many bookshelves.
A. C Merc)' Computational Mechanics Inc.. USA
Advanced Programming, A Practical Course D. 14/. Barron and J. 3I. Bishop John Wiley and Sons, 1984, 277 pp., £10.50, ISBN 0-471905216 The best way to master the art of programming is to serve an apprenticeship with a seasoned master programmer. The second best way is to be guided by a good book on programming, of which this is an excellent example. However, the text is not intended for novices, and the one who will most profit from it will have to have more than a basic experience in the high-level language programming. The programming language, through which use of data structures and procedures are demonstrated, was chosen by the authors to be Pascal, and in this respect, the majority of the book would fit under the name 'Advanced Programming in Pascal'. Nevertheless, the explanations of the problems encountered in solving an application task and the solutions to it are quite general, so that Pascal can rather be viewed upon as a vehicle, used to carry the reader from ideas to programming implementations. The book contains nine chapters. The first chapter, besides the introduction, briefly overviews the data and control structure of Pascal, giving advice on layout and style of a good program. The second chapter is concerned with basic algorithms, including an excellent part on recursion, explaining this complex subject, through simple examples. Also operations on sets are introduced and used to a great advantage in the examples, some of which are quite unusual for a scientific-mathematical audience (an analysis of a Shakespeare play). Chapter 3 deals with basic data structures, explaining also not so common ones like stacks, queues and linked lists. The fourth chapter describes the correct way of organising i n p u t - o u t p u t of the program. Chapter 5 deals with more complex algorithms, using various sorting procedures as examples. Also, various storage methods for arrays are discussed in relation to the properties of the matrices (symmetric, triangular, banded, sparse ...). A special treatment is given to variable-sized arrays, using linked lists. More complex data structures, trees, are dealt with in the sixth chapter, where various problems of search and sort are performed on these objects, with special attention being devoted to binary trees. The seventh chapter describes problems with i n p u t - o u t p u t when dealing with files in Pascal. Examples again include searches and sorts, this time with the emphasis on sequential file access. 'Other languages' is the title of the eighth chapter, and it briefly describes structures of Fortran as a representative of a language of the future. Basically, it comments on the lack of facilities in Fortran, as compared with Pascal, and on enhancements in Ada again in comparison to Pascal. The ninth chapter contains recommended further reading. The book definitely lives up to its title, and it should be considered as a manual for advanced programmers (or a learning text for those who wish to become one). The choice of Pascal as the programming language of the book seems quite natural to its proven superiority over most alternative languages and also due to its wide availability.
D. Nardini Gradjevinski Institut, Zagreb, Yugoslavia